The present invention is directed to devices that receive optical fiber cable connectors and permit them to be interconnected and cross-connected with other optical fiber connectors.
When office buildings and other structures receive incoming telecommunication lines, an interface is needed to receive the incoming lines and interconnect them with switching equipment associated with the building. Heretofore, incoming telecommunication lines have consisted of cables formed of copper wires that connect electrically with the switching equipment in the building. A typical interface consists of mounted "punch-down blocks" that receive the copper wires of the cables within V-shaped grooves to establish an electrical connection. Standard punch-down block designs are commonly referred to as type 66 and type 110 punch-down blocks. These devices have distinctive "footprints" that permit them to be readily installed into standard panels or spaces for installation of these racks.
As fiber optic-based communications have developed, it has become apparent that there is a need to be able to retrofit office buildings and other structures so that they can receive and make use of telecommunication lines made up of fiber optic cables. Up until now, those who have dealt with the problem of installing fiber optic-based cables in office buildings for telecommunications have had to install the connectors and associated adapters in fixed or sliding panels that were most often enclosed in sheet metal housings.
Recently, an optical distribution frame was developed that permits adapters for optical connection to be affixed within drawers in a storage rack. While this arrangement provides clear advantages over the use of metal housings, it is not ideal in every instance. First, shelves are used to mount these adapters, and these shelves must be individually withdrawn from the utility rack in order to access the adapters. Additionally, the utility rack is large--around seven feet tall--and requires room adjacent the rack so that the drawers can be withdrawn from the rack.
It would be an improvement to have a termination block that is compact and can be easily installed in a small area. It would also be an improvement to have a termination block that can be readily and easily substituted for standard copper electrical conduit punch-down blocks, for example, by providing the same or substantially the same footprints as the punch-down blocks.